broadstone first schoolfluencycontent2-schoolwebsite.netdna-ssl.com/filecluster/...bfs 7.10.15 self...

BROADSTONE FIRST SCHOOL

Author: Executive Head Teacher Date: June 2015 Review Body: Broadstone First School Human Resources and Standards Committee Date Adopted: 7th October, 2015 Review Date: Autumn 2016

POLICY :

Self Esteem, Positive Behaviour and Exclusion (Pupil Discipline)

BFS 7.10.15 Self Esteem, Positive Behaviour and Exclusion (Pupil Discipline) of 17

CASTLEMAN ACADEMY TRUST

Self Esteem, Positive Behaviour and Exclusion (Pupil Discipline) Policy

Our Aim: “At Broadstone First School we want our Curriculum to be a rehearsal for life and nurture the skills that are explicit in our core values of respect, independence and creativity. We want our curriculum to develop individual talents and unknown potential and to challenge all learners to be better tomorrow than they were today.” It is a primary aim of our school that every member of the school community feels valued and respected, and that each person is treated fairly and well. We are a caring community, and all our decisions are based on the agreed school values of Creativity, Independence and Respect, which in turn ensures that the five outcomes of “Every Child Matters” are embedded in all we do. The school behaviour policy is therefore designed to support the way in which all members of the school can live and work together in a supportive way. It aims to promote an environment where everyone feels happy, safe and secure. At Broadstone First School we have children and staff who care for each other and respond well to the problems others are experiencing. The school has a number of rules, but the primary aim of the behaviour policy is not to be a system to enforce rules. It is a means of promoting good relationships, so that younger and older learners can work together with the common purpose of helping everyone to learn. This policy supports the school community in aiming to allow everyone to work together in an effective and considerate way. It aims to help children to grow in a safe and secure environment, and to become creative, independent and respectful members of the school community. The school expects every member of the school community to behave in a considerate way towards others, keeping at the heart of everything we do respect, independence and creativity. The school rewards good behaviour, as it believes that this will develop an ethos of kindness and co-operation. This policy is designed to promote good behaviour, rather than merely deter anti-social behaviour. Longstanding research has constantly shown a direct link between the enhancement of self-esteem and the raising of academic achievement, improved behaviour and better relationships. Dorset Health Commission has stressed the need for developing self-esteem in all of us. Our values based approach to teaching and learning ensures that children work collaboratively, leading them to value others regardless of ability or background. Positive and Negative Consequences We firmly believe that if learners are actively and purposefully engaged, they are unlikely to misbehave. If the lessons are related to their own lives and the challenges set for them are appropriate, learners will be motivated and enthusiastic to be involved in their day to day learning.


We strive to ensure that learning is fun, engaging and purposeful to ensure behaviour issues are minimal (refer to Teaching for Learning Policy). Through our teaching and learning, children are encouraged and expected to take responsibility for their behaviour. How we do this is outlined in the planning sheets for each topic. Through various methods, children are led to understand that our actions have consequences which can be both negative and positive – depending on the behaviour. Self-esteem is the personal picture we have of ourselves - our strengths and our limitations. This self-image is affected by all the positive or negative responses of the people with whom we come into contact. We all, children and adults, need praise, success, recognition and affection and through this we can accept learning challenges and failure. We praise and reward learners for excellence in creativity, independence and respect in a variety of ways:

teachers congratulate children;

teachers, teaching assistants, play leaders and cleaning and caretaking staff reward children for upholding the values of creativity, independence and respect;

teachers and teaching assistants ask children what sort of rewards they would like to receive when they have behaved well and organise for these things to happen;

all classes have an opportunity to lead an assembly where they are able to show examples of their learning;

children take their learning to other staff members for celebration

A child with low self-esteem either resorts to negative attention seeking behaviour or withdraws. This can, in turn, negatively affect his/her learning and/or relationships and become a negative, self-fulfilling cycle. Our job as adults in school is to make sure no child/member of staff is trapped in a negative cycle. In order to do this we aim to:

Understand that an emotionally intelligent organisation supports and nurtures it’s members. The staff see themselves as both “responsible” (for their actions) and “respons-able” (they choose how to react). We aim to help the children understand and practice this in safe situations.

Strike a healthy balance between rewards and punishments. Both should be clearly specified.

Ensure that all staff apply rules consistently, but that there is flexibility in the use of negative consequences to take account of individual circumstances.

Provide a range of rewards accessible to pupils of all abilities and allowing for choice.

Give pupils every opportunity to take responsibility and to make a full contribution to improving behaviour in schools.

Ensure that LEAs and governing bodies provide play leaders with training in the management of pupil behaviour.


Ensure that the policy should be clearly understood by pupils, parents and all school staff. Specific Teaching Strategies We believe that children behave inappropriately when they are uncomfortable or unhappy with their learning situation. If children are emotionally secure, they will learn more effectively. First thing in the morning the children are engaged in “States for Learning” time. This is a time where there is a THINKING activity on the board for the children to enjoy when they come in. It should not involve writing, but merely be a way to limber up the brain for the day’s thinking. There will be music playing to relax the children and they will be greeted with a smile. The adults in the room will make a point of chatting on a one to one basis with some of the children to give them some “special” time and make them feel valued. This is meant to be a relaxed time where children “get in a state for learning”, therefore making them more likely to be ready for learning and better behaved. Coupled with this, each class will have an “Emotions Register”, where children self register against an emotions continuum. Teachers will see those children who may not be feeling positive and will take the time to ensure they acknowledge this. When children feel valued, they will be more likely to behave appropriately. Our specific teaching strategies are highly geared towards personalised learning. We strive to make the curriculum active and related to the needs of the learners for the future. It is based on the values of Independence, Creativity and Respect. We use a cross curricular approach, and as such, there is little repetition of objectives, promoting good behaviour – learners who are not bored, will be more excited about learning and will behave accordingly. For more details see our “Teaching for Learning” policy. Circle time may be a strategy used in class, but may not be on a weekly basis. Instead, there are weekly “Philosophy for Children” sessions where children discuss issues relating to their daily life. In these sessions they are taught to share their feelings politely and without blame. They are also taught to disagree with each other in a “nice way”. It is by working this way, we hope that the children will transfer the skills learned in Philosophy into the situations where there may be tension. We are teaching them to “argue politely”. Golden time is not practised at our school. We believe that every day should be Golden Time – not just at a specific time of the week. We aim to ensure the children see themselves as part of a wider school community. They will be “mixed” up on the playground. Class groups will be mixed on an annual basis to ensure relationships are built with every member of the year group. Some topics will be better served if we group children together in families, as opposed to age grouping. Parents will be notified when this happens. Teachers will spend time in other classrooms to get to know the children from other year groups. In this way we hope the children will come to understand that the school is made up of a variety of people and we all have a responsibility for looking after them.


Special Educational Needs are also dealt with to ensure behaviour is positive. Please refer to the School’s Inclusion policy where we detail the provision for our SEND and Gifted and Talented children. Rights and Responsibilities In order to further develop the children’s ability to take responsibility for their own behaviour, we have developed their understanding of rights and responsibilities. Each class creates a rights and responsibilities charter to enable them to take ownership of their behaviours. The language of rights and responsibilities is used to explain the consequences for their behaviour. This language has been developed with all of those involved in the children’s learning, including teaching assistants and lunchtime play leaders. Working with our parent partners Parenting is a difficult and vulnerable task. Parents play a crucial role in enhancing their children’s self-esteem. Much of the good self-esteem building work done by parents at home can be ‘undone’ by school and, similarly, much of the self-esteem input from the school can be undone at home. With the above policy we hope to prevent this and to boost your self-esteem as well. Every parent has the right to hear regular ‘good news’ about their children and at Broadstone First School they do. We regularly invite families in to celebrate learning. This is done in a variety of ways. Families can enjoy a range of displays; presentations, art galleries, museums drama, music and dance. Normally we ask families to sign visitors’ books to evaluate and celebrate how an event has gone. Children thoroughly enjoy sharing their “in context” learning with their families and as such present a very positive outlook. We will strive to ensure children receive consistent messages about how to behave at home and at school. We would expect parents to support the school in their expectations too. For instance, we explain the school rules in the school prospectus, and we expect parents to read these and support them. We expect parents to support their child’s learning, and to co-operate with the school, as set out in the home–school agreement. We try to build a supportive dialogue between the home and the school, and we inform parents immediately if we have concerns about their child’s welfare or behaviour. If the school has to use reasonable sanctions to punish a child, parents should support the actions of the school. If parents have any concern about the way that their child has been treated, they should initially contact the class teacher. If the concern remains, they should contact the Head Teacher. If parents are still not satisfied, they should contact the school governors, as per the school’s complaints procedure.


Dealing with Inappropriate Behaviour In our school all learners will:

Treat each other fairly

Trust, listen, give a chance, encourage and praise every learner

Be consistent

Recognise learner’s fears

Be positive

Show they care

Not jump to conclusions, but deal afresh with each incident

Make early use of the ‘hairy eyeball’ (a stern warning look) If a learner does something wrong, they will know that it is the behaviour that is disliked and not him/her. Lunchtime Play Leaders will have their own warning cards. They will also inform the teacher of poor behaviour. They also have their own incentive scheme to praise those who keep the rules. These will take the form of stickers and certificates. Other incentives for good behaviour are differentiated according to age and Key Stage. The class teacher discusses the school rules with each class. In addition to the school rules, each class also has its own classroom code, which is agreed by the children and displayed on the wall of the classroom. In this way, every child in the school knows the standard of behaviour that we expect in our school. If there are incidents of anti-social behaviour, the class teacher discusses these with the whole class. The school employs a number of sanctions to enforce the school rules, and to ensure a safe and positive learning environment. We employ each sanction appropriately to each individual situation.

We expect children to listen carefully to instructions in lessons. If they do not do so, we ask them either to move to a place nearer the teacher, or to sit on their own.

We expect children to try their best in all activities. If they do not do so, we may ask them to redo a task.

If a child is disruptive in class, the teacher reprimands him or her. If a child misbehaves repeatedly, we isolate the child from the rest of the class until s/he calms down, and is in a position to work sensibly again with others.

The safety of the children is paramount in all situations. If a child’s behaviour endangers the safety of others, the class teacher stops the activity and prevents the child from taking part for the rest of that session.

If a child threatens, hurts or bullies another pupil, the class teacher records the incident and the child is punished and parents/carers informed. If a child repeatedly acts in a way that disrupts or upsets others, the school will seek an appointment in order to discuss the situation, with a view to improving the behaviour of the child.


The vast majority of children will respond to and benefit from the above policy. However, there will be one or two children who are ‘beyond’ normal incentives and sanctions. Within many of this type of child there is an inner chaos which results in the absence of any internal boundaries. These children will need an individual ‘contract’. Points to remember when establishing a contract:

Targets, to begin with, must be small and attainable (success breeds success)

Reinforcement must be daily

The contract will need constant assessment

‘Pay off’ must be clear – the consequences should be clear and suit the misdemeanour.

A simple statement agreed between child and teacher is written down The contract will need to be signed by the child and teacher and strictly adhered to. Discuss with the child what might prevent him/her from succeeding. Parents will also be involved in the contract. All members of staff are aware of the regulations regarding the use of force by teachers, as set out in DfEE Circular 10/98, relating to section 550A of the Education Act 1996: The Use of Force to Control or Restrain Pupils. Teachers in our school do not hit, push or slap children. Staff only intervene physically to restrain children or to prevent injury to a child, or if a child is in danger of hurting him/herself. The actions that we take are in line with government guidelines on the restraint of children. Specific members of staff are trained with the correct techniques with regard to restraining children. These training courses are run by Team-Teach who provide BILD (British Institute of Learning Disabilities) accredited training for children and adult services in positive handling strategies through a whole setting holistic approach, working with leadership and management, actively committed to reducing restraint and risk. Team Teach techniques seek to avoid injury to the service user, but whilst some physical injury potential can be reduced there remains some risk, with potential for possible bruising or scratching that may occur accidentally, and these are not seen to be necessarily as a failure of professional technique, but as a regrettable and infrequent side effect of ensuring that the service user remains safe. The school does not tolerate bullying of any kind. If we discover that an act of bullying or intimidation has taken place, we act immediately to stop any further occurrences of such behaviour. While it is very difficult to eradicate bullying, we do everything in our power to ensure that all children attend school free from fear. The role of the class teacher It is the responsibility of the class teacher to ensure that the school rules are enforced in their class, and that their class behaves in a responsible manner during lesson time. The class teachers in our school have high expectations of the children in terms of behaviour, and they strive to ensure that all children work to the best of their ability.


The class teacher treats each child fairly and enforces the classroom code consistently. The teacher treats all children in their class with respect and understanding. If a child misbehaves repeatedly in class, the class teacher keeps a record of all such incidents. In the first instance, the class teacher deals with incidents him/herself in the normal manner. However, if misbehaviour continues, the class teacher seeks help and advice from the Head Teacher. The class teacher liases with external agencies, as necessary, to support and guide the progress of each child. The class teacher may, for example, discuss the needs of a child with the education social worker or LEA behaviour support service. The class teacher reports to parents about the progress of each child in their class, in line with the whole–school policy. The class teacher may also contact a parent if there are concerns about the behaviour or welfare of a child. The role of the Head Teacher It is the responsibility of the Head Teacher, under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, to implement the school behaviour policy consistently throughout the school, and to report to governors, when requested, on the effectiveness of the policy. It is also the responsibility of the Head Teacher to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all children in the school. The Head Teacher supports the staff by implementing the policy, by setting the standards of behaviour, and by supporting staff in the implementation of the policy. The Head Teacher keeps records of all reported serious incidents of misbehaviour. The Head Teacher has the responsibility for giving fixed-term suspensions to individual children for serious acts of misbehaviour. For repeated or very serious acts of anti-social behaviour, the Head Teacher may permanently exclude a child. Both these actions are only taken after the school governors have been notified. The role of governors The governing body has the responsibility of setting down these general guidelines on standards of discipline and behaviour, and of reviewing their effectiveness. The governors support the Head Teacher in carrying out these guidelines. The Head Teacher has the day-to-day authority to implement the school behaviour and discipline policy, but governors may give advice to the Head Teacher about particular disciplinary issues. The Head Teacher must take this into account when making decisions about matters of behaviour.


Fixed-term and permanent exclusions Any child who deliberately harms another pupil or member of staff, will be excluded for up to a day. Exclusions The school views exclusion as a last resort. It usually occurs only in extreme cases where behaviour of pupils directly affects the health and safety of themselves or others. Before making a decision to exclude, the school will ensure that a thorough investigation has been carried out, including allowing the student to give their version of the events, seeking any witness statements and considering any evidence of provocation. Any record of previous misdemeanours may be taken into consideration. No student will be sent off site before the end of the day unless contact has been established with parents/carers/nominated responsible adult. In the event of contact not being made, the student must remain on site, withdrawn from class until the end of the normal school day. At the point of exclusion, a letter will be sent home via first class post (and email if the responsible adult has an email address), stating the reason for the exclusion. Telephone contact will be made with the parent/carer of the student informing them of the exclusion. All exclusions will be recorded centrally in the School Exclusion Record and on school record keeping systems (eg. Pupil Tracker). The Executive Headteacher and Chair of Governors will be informed of all exclusions, both fixed term and permanent on a monthly basis. Exclusion will be enforced after investigating the circumstances of an event or on an immediate basis. The decision to exclude is at the discretion of a member of the Senior Leadership team. Exclusion may take one of three forms:

Internal exclusion – the decision to follow this course of action and to determine its duration will be taken by a member of the Senior Leadership Team. The pupil will be removed from a whole class teaching environment and, although following their normal daily curriculum, be required to work on their own under close supervision.

Fixed term exclusion – the decision to follow this course of action and determine its duration will be taken by the Head Teacher or, in the Head Teacher’s absence, a member of the Senior Leadership Team. Any action taken will adhere to the Trust’s policy. Parents will be contacted immediately and required to withdraw their child from the school premises, at which point the child becomes the responsibility of their parents. An excluded pupil must not be present in a public place during school hours. The school will provide work for the period of the exclusion. On the child’s return to school a reintegration meeting will be held with a member of the Senior Leadership team to discuss how best to manage the child’s return to school and establish a behaviour contract.

Permanent exclusion – this is the school’s ultimate sanction. Parents will be fully involved in the process. Pupils face permanent exclusion when their behaviour constitutes a serious breach of school rules and/or is considered a significant threat to the health and safety of themselves or others as stipulated in the Trust’s policy.


Upon their return from an exclusion, the pupil will meet with a member of the Senior Leadership team, where they will be reminded of the standard of behaviour expected. See Appendix 1 for further detail and guidance on exclusions. Restraint

In extreme cases where physical danger to self or others seems likely it may be necessary to restrain a pupil. All members of staff are aware of the regulations regarding the use of force by teachers, as set out in DfE Circular 10/98, relating to section 550A of the Education Act 1996: The Use of Force to Control or Restrain Pupils. Teachers in our school do not hit, push or slap children. Staff only intervene physically to restrain children or to prevent injury to a child, or if a child is in danger of hurting him/herself. The actions that we take are in line with government guidelines on the restraint of children. Pupils will always be advised of the steps to be taken before and during any restraint and a ‘cooling off’ period will be applied. This may take the form of an internal or external exclusion. Specific members of staff are trained with the correct techniques with regard to restraining children. These training courses are run by Team-Teach who provide BILD (British Institute of Learning Disabilities) accredited training for children and adult services in positive handling strategies through a whole setting holistic approach, working with leadership and management, actively committed to reducing restraint and risk. Team Teach techniques seek to avoid injury to the service user, but whilst some physical injury potential can be reduced there remains some risk, with potential for possible bruising or scratching that may occur accidentally, and these are not seen to be necessarily as a failure of professional technique, but as a regrettable and infrequent side effect of ensuring that the service user remains safe. The Head Teacher immediately informs the Executive Headteacher and the Chair of Governors of any exclusions made. These are reported to the Governing Body via the Termly Report to Governors of any fixed-term exclusions beyond five days in any one term. The governing body itself cannot either exclude a pupil or extend the exclusion period made by the Head Teacher. The governing body has a discipline committee which is made up of between three and five members. This committee considers any exclusion appeals on behalf of the governors. When an appeals panel meets to consider an exclusion, they consider the circumstances in which the pupil was excluded, consider any representation by parents and consider whether the pupil should be reinstated. If the governors’ appeals panel decides that a pupil should be reinstated, the Head Teacher must comply with this ruling. GOVERNING BODY EXCLUSIONS COMMITTEE: As this can change as and when new Governors are appointed, the Clerk to Governors keeps an up to date list. This can be obtained from her when required.


Monitoring The Head Teacher monitors the effectiveness of this policy on a regular basis. S/he also reports to the governing body on the effectiveness of the policy and, if necessary, makes recommendations for further improvements. The school keeps a variety of records of incidents of misbehaviour. The class teacher records minor classroom incidents. The Head Teacher records those incidents where a child is sent to him/her on account of bad behaviour. We also keep a record of any incidents that occur at break or lunchtimes: lunchtime play leaders give written details of any incident in the incidents book that we keep in the staff room. The Head Teacher keeps a record of any pupil who is suspended for a fixed-term, or who is permanently excluded. It is the responsibility of the governing body to monitor the rate of suspensions and exclusions, and to ensure that the school policy is administered fairly and consistently. Equality Impact Assessment This policy has been reviewed with the equality impact considerations as laid down in the school’s Equality Policy.


Appendix 1 GUIDANCE ON EXCLUSIONS

Fixed Period Exclusions of five days or less For all fixed period exclusions work will be set and marked by the School. The responsibility for this rests with Heads of Year to collect work and Class Teachers to mark work. For one day exclusions the Head of Year will speak to the student on their return to the Academy. For exclusions which are longer than one day, or if an exclusion is one of a number of exclusions that a student has had, the student will be re-admitted by their Head of Year. Their Head of Year will remind them of the standard of behaviour expected. At this stage, the Head of Year may discuss the incident and any arising issues with the parent/carer. All discussions with parents/carers will be recorded on Pupil Tracker or Integris. If a student has a further fixed term exclusion, the same process is followed as for first exclusion. However if there are repeated fixed term exclusions for the same misdemeanour, the Head of Year will involve parents/carers and external agencies as required. Where a student is causing concern and may have had a number of fixed term exclusions, a Behaviour Plan and Risk Assessment will be completed. The parent/carer may wish to make written representation to the Chair of the Governor Panel about an exclusion. A parent/carer wishing to make representation should do so in writing within 5 School days of the date of notification via recorded delivery. Governors will respond as appropriate within 50 school days. The Chair of the Governor Panel has discretion as to whether to call as meeting or not. Whatever is done, will be recorded and placed on the student file. If a meeting is held, it will be after the period of exclusion has been served. The parent/carer may, if they wish, have someone of their choice to accompany and assist them at the meeting. The meeting is not an appeal and will not cause an interim postponement of the exclusion. The purpose of the meeting is to enable the parent/carer to be satisfied that their views have been heard and consideration given as to whether more information should be added to the student’s record. The decision of the Governors will be final in respect of matters regarding temporary exclusions for fixed periods in any one term of 5 days or less. In the event of a meeting being called, Governors cannot overturn the exclusion, but can add a note to the student file. The letter informing parent/carer of the exclusion will explain the procedure to make representations. Fixed Period Exclusions of more than 5 and less than 15 days in any one term For an exclusion (or series of exclusions) of more than 5 days but not more than 15 days in any one term, a reintegration meeting with the student’s Head of Year and parent/carer will take place. The Head Teacher may attend the meeting. A Governors’ meeting should take place between the 6th and 50th school day after the date of notification, if the parent/carer requests it. The parent/carer must request an appeal within 5 Academy days of notification by recorded delivery.


The parent/carer and the Academy will be invited to present evidence to the Governors challenging the decision to impose a fixed term exclusion. Governors will make a decision, which will be provided via the Clerk to Governors in writing to the parent/carer and posted within 5 Academy days after the meeting. Fixed Period Exclusions of more than 15 days in any one term For a fixed period exclusion (or series of temporary exclusions) adding up to more than 15 days in any one term, a Governors’ Disciplinary Panel must meet between 6 and 15 days from the date of exclusion whether the parent/carer requests it or not. The parent/carer and the School will be invited to present evidence. Governors will make a decision as to whether the 15 plus exclusion days are merited, which will be provided via the Clerk to Governors in writing to the parent/carer and posted within 5 school days after the meeting. The Governors will also discuss with the parent/carer how the student is going to change their behaviour. Off site provision When a student is excluded for 6 or more days, it starts with a home based exclusion of 5 days. The school will provide off site provision from the 6th day of exclusion onwards. The provision will be arranged by the school. The student will be expected to report to a named member of staff at the start of the school day, where they will be provided with appropriate work and supervised to complete the tasks set. The parent/carer will be contacted and informed of the provision being made. Permission for the student to attend off site provision will be sought verbally and the student will be expected to bring a signed agreement to the named member of staff the following morning. All temporarily excluded students will be put on Report in their re-admittance to the school. This programme is intended to ensure the positive re-integration of students into the life of the school and improve behaviour. Permanent Exclusion The decision to permanently exclude a student will be taken in response to a serious breach, or persistent breaches, of this policy, and where allowing a student to remain in the Academy would seriously harm the education or welfare of the student or others in the Academy. Only the Head Teacher the shall have the discretionary power to permanently exclude any student after consultation with the Executive Headteacher and the Chair of Governors. In exceptional circumstances, the Principal may decide to take this course of action without the student having had any previous fixed term exclusions. For example for:

Possession, using or supplying of drugs, including medicines or alcohol

Serious and ongoing bullying


Being in possession of an offensive weapon

Serious actual or threatened violence against another student or a member of staff

Sexual or indecent assault

Extremely serious damage of school property or building

Any student found smoking anywhere on the school site, and on school trips, camps etc, a first

offence will incur a one day exclusion, and a second offence may lead to permanent exclusion

Persistent high levels of defiance or misbehaviour, in breach of the school’s policies and ethos

When a student’s behaviour record shows persistently high levels of misbehaviour the school will work fully with the student, parents and external agencies to prevent a decision on a permanent exclusion from occurring. This can take the form of:

Behaviour Plan and Risk Assessment being in place with appropriate mentor support, external

agency support

Managed move procedure being investigated

Investigating alternative curriculum provision models, either full time or part time, on a

temporary short term or long term basis, that might be more appropriate for the student’s

needs. This will lead to subsequent and structure reintegration of the student back into the life

of the school.

The parent/carer will be informed in writing by the Head Teacher of their right of appeal against a decision to exclude permanently. The parent/carer will be advised that they may, if they wish, have someone of their choice to accompany and assist them at the appeal meeting. Appeals should be made in writing to the Chair of the Governor Panel via the Clerk to Governors within 10 school days of notification of the exclusion. A minimum of 3 governors will constitute the Governor Panel convened for the purpose of considering appeals against permanent exclusions. The Chair of Governors, who will have previously been consulted regarding permanent exclusions, will not be a member of this Committee. For permanent exclusions the Governor Panel should meet between the 6th and 15th school day after notification by parent(s) / carer(s) of their wish to appeal. There is no restriction on Governors who have served on a fixed period exclusion panel serving on any subsequent exclusion panel for the same student. The decision of the Governors will be final. Any meeting of the Governor Panel may, at their discretion, consider in sequence more than one exclusion case at that meeting. If a student is being referred to a Student Referral Unit contact with the LA must be initiated. Appropriate permanent exclusion forms will also be completed. Parents/Carers have the right to an independent appeal against a permanent exclusion. Details of this process will be communicated to parents/carers from the Governor’s Disciplinary Panel.


If any exclusion would result in a student missing a public examination, the Head Teacher will review this decision. In the event of the Principal deciding it is not appropriate for a student to take an examination this will be referred to the Governor Panel. The Panel should attempt to meet before the examination. If, exceptionally, it is not practical for the Panel to meet before the examination is due to be taken, the Chair of the Panel or the Chair of Governors has the discretion to allow the student on site to take the examination.


Appendix 2

GUIDANCE ON SEARCHING STUDENTS

Searching with consent Schools’ common law powers to search: School staff can search students with their consent for any item. 1. Schools are not required to have formal written consent from the student for this sort of search – it is enough for the teacher to ask the student to turn out his or her pockets or if the teacher can look in the student’s bag or locker and for the student to agree.

2. Our behaviour policy and occasional updates to parents and students indicate what items are banned.

3. If a member of staff suspects a student has a banned item in his/her possession, they can instruct the student to turn out his or her pockets or bag and if the student refuses, the teacher can apply an appropriate punishment as set out in the school’s behaviour policy.

4. A student refusing to co-operate with such a search raises the same kind of issues as where a student refuses to stay in a detention or refuses to stop any other unacceptable behaviour when instructed by a member of staff – in such circumstances, schools can apply an appropriate disciplinary penalty. Searching without consent – What the law says: What can be searched for: 1. Knives or weapons, alcohol, illegal drugs and stolen items; and

2. Tobacco and cigarette papers, fireworks and pornographic images; and

3. Any article that the member of staff reasonably suspects has been, or is likely to be, used to commit an offence, or to cause personal injury to, or damage to property; and

4. Any item banned by the school rules which has also been identified in the rules as an item which may be searched for. The Head Teacher and those staff authorised by the Head Teacher have a statutory power to search students without consent. School staff can seize and confiscate any banned or prohibited item found as a result of a search or which they consider harmful or detrimental to school discipline. Parents will be informed when this happens. In the case of weapons we will call the police to carry out the search if any reluctance or resistance to co-operate from the student is encountered. In other cases we will seek to be as effective and discreet as possible by using the following guidelines:


1) She/he will be invited to hand over any suspected items or have a parent/carer or police attend if they choose not to comply. There may be circumstances when school staff will call the police for assistance if they consider it is appropriate.

2) Unless there are exceptional circumstances or an emergency, both members of staff will be the same gender as the student and the process will be conducted in a dignified manner.

3) Searches will be conducted with two or more members of staff present

4) Intimate body searches will not be conducted Under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, students have the right to expect a reasonable level of personal privacy. The strategies outlined above are the school’s practical response to its philosophy of inclusion.

broadstone first schoolfluencycontent2-schoolwebsite.netdna-ssl.com/filecluster/...bfs 7.10.15 self...

Documents